Here are 4 things I do to cope with the stress of working in S’pore. You might find them useful.

Millennials. We were the future, once.

But I have to face facts.

After about a decade in the workforce and having friends who are welcoming their second kid into the world, the world is no longer our oyster.

The future belongs to our friends in Generation Z. We just need to do the best we can before they take over.

Still, all that time has left me with a few tips, tricks and useful habits that make working in Singapore that extra bit easier.

And you’ll need these, especially after a recent survey found that Singapore is one of the most overworked cities in the world, according to a study by workspace innovation company, The Instant Group.

Anything that helps to lighten the load or improve your physical and mental well-being will pay for itself many times over.

Blackout curtains

Forget the proverbial eight hours, only a little over a quarter of Singaporeans even get seven hours of sleep a night.

The reasons are legion.

Work, studies, childcare responsibilities, that hot new Netflix series that everyone’s talking about or the same episodes of Friends you’ve been watching endlessly for 20 years, it doesn’t matter.

Singaporeans don’t get enough sleep.

Until the time machine is invented (or was invented all along), what you can do is to make sure what sleep you do actually get is restful and uninterrupted.

And trust me, one of the best purchases you can ever make in your life is a set of blackout curtains, which do a great job of blocking out the morning sun.

With the curtains, I don’t wake up against my will at sunrise at an ungodly hour, no matter how late I’ve slept the previous night, which can be very annoying on the weekends.

I allow my natural body clock to do what it does normally, which means I get more rest.

Saving your money

It may be hypocritical of me to advocate for sensible saving habits after recommending a purchase that I believe may make your life better, but having a good saving plan does a lot for my peace of mind.

Now I am not a finance professional, nor am I particularly well-versed in matters of money, so take what I say next with a grain of salt.

But what seems clear is that financial problems contribute a lot to mental stress, according to a wellness survey conducted by Traveloka, and mental stress may affect physical health too.

To eliminate some of this stress, I try to abide by a simple rule – stash 20 per cent of my paycheck every month in a separate bank account and forget about it.

This removes the temptation to actually use the money, if you have another account for everyday spending.

Then don’t touch the money unless it’s an emergency (no, a sudden trip to Tokyo to find yourself doesn’t count as an emergency).

It’s a good rule of thumb to keep three to six months of your salary as savings, as advised by personal finance website The Balance in case the world falls down around you.

Who knows, I may get fired tomorrow.

If that happens, it may help to know that I have some time to pull myself together.

Talk to the people you work with

Work is a weird thing, when you think about it.

A group of strangers are brought together by dint of capitalism to make money together.

You don’t know them from Adam when first starting out, but you probably end up spending more time together with them than your closest friends, and maybe even your family.

Spending so much time in close quarters (even if you’re separated physically and working from home) can get testy.

It can get contentious and rough around the edges. That’s totally fine.

That’s called being human. But it means that you have to keep working on communication.

That’s true in romantic relationships, and it’s true for work as well.

If there are issues, talk it out, don’t let things fester. Or even worse, indulge in gossip that may end up making things worse.

Few workplaces filled with such a tense atmosphere are pleasant places to work in.

Protect what matters to you

So far, all of these tips have been geared towards removing stress from your life. But accidents and unexpected situations may occur at any time.

GREAT Term Guard is an exclusive to OCBC term insurance plan that just launched earlier this year. Customers must be 19 to 45 years of age (next birthday) and have an OCBC Digital app to purchase it.

It is Singapore’s first online term insurance that returns your premiums back to you if no claims were made during the policy term, when you reach the age of 65.

If you ever have need, you’re protected. If not, get a full refund.

While you may have seen other plans make the same offer before, this is the first that offers it as an online service.

You can apply within just 10 minutes if you have the OCBC Digital app, or if you have questions about GREAT Term Guard, you can walk into any OCBC bank to find out more.

The app is the only option available to purchase the plan online.

Choose from two plans, coverage of S$100,000 or S$200,000. Both cover death, total and permanent disability, terminal illness and the critical stages of 53 critical illnesses, which is more than the 37 critical illnesses listed under Life Insurance Association Singapore 2019 definitions.

This plan covers you till you reach the age of 65 (next birthday), and premiums stay the same once you sign up for the plan. If you wait longer, they go up the older you are.

Removing a great source of stress in just 10 minutes – get yourself covered today. Visit GREAT Term Guard for more details.

Top image from Unsplash.

This is a sponsored article by OCBC.

Important notes

GREAT Term Guard is underwritten by The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eastern Holdings Limited and a member of the OCBC Group. This plan is not a bank deposit and OCBC Bank does not guarantee or have any obligations in connection with it.

This document does not take into account your particular investment and protection aims, financial situation or needs. You may want to seek advice from a financial adviser before committing to buy the product. If you choose not to seek advice from a financial adviser, you should consider whether the product is suitable for you.

As buying a life insurance policy is a long-term commitment, an early termination of the policy usually involves high costs and the surrender value, if any, that is payable to you may be zero or less than the total premiums paid.

This document is for general information only. It is not a contract of insurance or an offer to buy an insurance product or service. It is also not meant to provide any insurance or financial advice. The specific terms and conditions of the plan are set out in the policy documents. If you are interested in the insurance policy, you should read the product summary and policy illustration (available from us) before deciding whether to buy this product.

We do not guarantee, represent or warrant that any of the information provided in this document is accurate and you should not rely on it as such. We do not undertake to update the information or to correct any inaccuracies.

All information may change without notice. We will not be liable for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly in connection with or as a result of you acting on the information in this document.

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

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This policy is protected under the Policy Owners’ Protection Scheme which is administered by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC). Coverage for your policy is automatic and no further action is required from you. For more information on the types of benefits that are covered under the scheme as well as the limits of coverage, where applicable, please contact us or visit the Life Insurance Association (LIA) or SDIC websites (www.lia.org.sg or www.sdic.org.sg).